When did the myth la llorona start?

Answer 1

The Story of La Llorona is more that 500 years old... Their is no specific time given to its origins but even to this day this story is told to Mexican Children as fact, although its not verified.

Answer 2

There are two versions of the myth. The oldest one predates the arrival of Europeans, starting around the 15th century. It talks about a woman who drowned in the Lake Texcoco, and her spirit was heard lamenting her death as well as her children's. She was known as the Chokacihuatl (Choka - crying, cihuatl - woman).

The other one began during the early colonial period (16th to 17th centuries), when an indigenous woman fell in love and gave birth to the three children of a Spanish gentleman. He eventually married a high-class Spanish lady, resulting in the scorned woman killing her own children and committing suicide. It is said that her laments are heard close to the river where she took her own life. From time to time after the curfew (11:00 PM) a woman, dressed in white was seen along some streets in downtown Mexico City, adding to the legend.